The placenta feeds and oxygenates the fetus, it also protects it from infections and harmful substances.
The placenta is the baby’s lung in its intrauterine life. It is formed from the same cells as the embryo and implants in the internal wall of the uterus in the first weeks of pregnancy.
This organ, on the one hand, connects with the mother’s circulatory system allowing the exchange of nutrients and oxygen. On the other, it connects to the baby’s bloodstream, to carry the waste into the mother’s blood, which then removes it through her kidneys.
The placenta performs other very important functions during pregnancy. It produces hormones that contribute to starting labor and also protects the fetus from infections, as well as the passage of harmful substances, although it is not impervious to everything and there are some viruses (rubella, chickenpox) and toxic substances (nicotine, drugs, alcohol) that they can go through it and harm the fetus.
It is a source of vitamins
The placenta grows and develops along with the baby throughout the pregnancy. At the end it measures about 18-20 cm, it has a thickness of about 2-3 cm and a weight of approximately half a kilo.
In it, a large amount of vitamins and minerals accumulate throughout the pregnancy, it also contains an important hormone called placental lactogen that stimulates the production of breast milk. Currently it is mainly used for cosmetic purposes for the skin and hair, but more and more applications are being discovered in substances that are extracted from the placenta.
Expulsion after childbirth
Once the mother has given birth to the baby, the placenta has accomplished its task and is released from the uterus. It can take between 5 and 60 minutes until the placenta and fetal attachments, that is, the rest of the umbilical cord and the membranes that have enveloped the fetus during gestation, are expelled through contractions.
If the placenta is slow to come out, the doctor may firmly massage the abdomen (uterine massage) to contract it.
The organ is examined to check that it is intact and complete (if any fragment remains in the uterus, it is removed to prevent bleeding and infection). In very specific cases, for example, if the newborn has a complication, it is sent to the laboratory to help identify the cause of the problem.